Hanger.



R. R. POWELL HANGERf APPUCTION FILED MAY 19| |916.

FTQ. Z.

. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

ITG. 5.

rNTED STATES PA'ET F CE.

ROBERT R. POWELL, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.

HANGER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at White Plains, in the county of Nestchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hangers, more especially designed for garments, but adapted also for other articles. My said invention has for its principal object to provide a simple and convenient hanger on which several articles, such for example, as pairs of trousers, can be suspended in smooth condition and in small space, and froniwhich any desired one of said articles can be removed instantly and conveniently. Another object is so to construct the hanger that it can easily be taken to pieces, if desired, and packed in a small space.

To the above and other ends which will appear hereinafter, my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all of which will be fully set forth herein and particularly pointed out in the claims.

@ne form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying' drawing, in which# Figure 1 is a front elevation of the hanger;

Fig. 2 is a top view; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1.

fly hanger in the form here shown, comprises a rectangular frame having two upright side bars 1, a top cross bar 2, and a bottonrcross bar 3, the cross-bars being let into the side bars from the back as shown so that the frame can be fastenedflat against a wall or door, in case that happens to be the most convenient place to support it. A second cross bar 5 is secured in front of the uprights 1 at the bottom of the hanger, and in front of the bar 5 there are secured two up-rights 6, which may be shorter than the up-rights 1. The construction is such as to leave between each pair of rip-rights 1 and 6 an open-ended slot 7, into which rods S can be dropped from the top, the lowermost rod resting on the top of the cross-bar 5. The rods 8 are preferably of such length as to project slightly beyond the rectangular frame. Each of said rods is preferably plain at one end, while it may be formed with a knob 9 at the other end. rlhe rods are freely movable up and down in the slots,

Specification of Letters Patent. Pai-,81345941 Aug; 14, 1917.

Application filed May 19, 1916.

Serial No. 98,513.

and are piled one on top of another, each resting on the one below it, the lowermost rod resting on the cross-bar 5.

ln use, the hanger is supported in any suitable way, as, for example, by being fastened to a wall. l/Vhen it is desired to hang up a pair of trousers, one of the rods 8 is removed from the slots 7, and the trousers l0 are foldedover the rod, after which the rod is dropped into the slots 7. A second pair of trousers, or other article, can be folded about a second rod, which is dropped into the slots, the second article resting on the one first inserted, as shown; and any desired number of articles can be thus hung, each such article being folded about one of the rods. It will be noted that both folds of each suspended article hang down in front of the bar 5, and where several articles are suspended, those last put into the hanger, hang down in front of those previously put in. Each article is pressed by its own weight against the one below, or against the top edge of the bar 5, as the case may be, and the articles are thus put by their own weight under enough friction to hold them sufficiently securely in place.

Any one of the articles can be removed at any time, independently of the others, by pulling its rod out endwise, the knob 9 being useful in this operation. lVhen the rod has been pulled out, the article that has been folded about it can be readily removed. If it be one of those in the middle of the pile, the articles and rods above it will drop down on those beneath, and the empty rod can be laid on top of the pile for future use.

In the drawing the hanger is shown provided with ten rods 8, the four bottom ones being in use; but the articles could be on the four top rods, or used and idle rods can be piled in any order, just as it may happen. If, for example, it were desired to hang a fifth article, this could be folded over the topmost rod, leaving the four idle rods in the midst of the pile.

It will be readily perceived that this hanger can be made in different sizes and proportions, depending on the character of the articles to be hung in it and upon the required capacity; and that it can be adapted to various uses such as filing drawings, as a rack from which to display rugs, and indeed, as a hanger for any articles of this general character.

The details of construction can of course be varied widely. The hanger is here shown in a form adapted to be constructed of wood, but it can be made of other materials, and can if desired in some other instances be made of wire bent into such shape as to provide two slots of the general character of the slots 7 here shown.

In the present instance the upright members consist of square bars of wood, and the cross-bars are thin boards, thc bar 5 being rounded on top for better cooperation with the lowermost one of the articles l0 in case that should rest directly on said bar as shown in the drawing.

I prefer to secure the several members of the frame together by means of bolts 11 having counter-sunk heads at the back, and wing-nuts l2 in front, though of course ordinary wood screws can be employed. By removing the bolts the whole frame can be taken to pieces and packed in a small compass for shipment; and where the wing-nuts are employed the device can thus be taken down and set up again without the use of any tools, making it convenient to be carried about in a trunk.

The hanger can itself be supported in any suitable way either fiXedly or movably according to the use to which it is to be put. In the present instance I have shown screwholes 13 through the cross-bars 2 and 3 for fastening the device to a wall or door, and in Fig. 3 I have indicated a hole 14 through the cross-bar 5 to give access to the screw or other fastening device in the hole 13 of the bar 3.

In some trousers hangers of which I am aware and which are capable of supporting several pairs of trousers, the hanger projects outward from the wall or door a sufficient distance so that 'the flat surface of the garment is perpendicular to the wall or door. A hanger of this sort necessarily takes up more room in a closet than my hanger in which the flat surfaces of garments are parallel with the wall. There are other forms of hangers in which articles are hung on rods parallel to the wall, but in all these of which I am aware each article is merely folded over a rod, and it is liable to slip off unless it is folded carefully in the middle or unless some special clamping means is provided. 'Ihese hangers are not nearly so compact as mine, nor are the garments hung thereon so securely as in mine. It will be noted that in my hanger there are no special clamping devices and yet each article is clamped with sufficient security by the mere act of dropping the rod in place, the different articles resting one on top of the other. At the same time any desired article can be removed without disturbing the others.

It will be perceived that various changes can be made in the details of construction and arrangement without departing from my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A four sided frame comprising uprights and cross-bars, and two uprights, standing out in front of said frame, one on each side of the frame, each said upright being secured at its lower end and free at its upper end, so as to leave behind it a slot which is open at the top, and a. plurality of rods over each of which a garment can be folded, and which rods can be dropped into said open ended slots from the top, the rods lying one above another in said slots.

2. In an article of the character described, the combination of a four-sided frame comprising uprights and cross-bars, two uprights standing out in front of said frame, and means for detachably securing said uprights and cross-bars together, whereby said frame can be taken to pieces and packed in a small space, each of said out-standing uprights being secured at its lower end and free at its upper end so as to leave behind it a slot which is open at the top; and a plurality of rods over which a garment can be folded and which rods can be dropped into said open-ended slots from the top', the rods lying one above the other in said slots.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, in White Plains, in the county of Wvestchester and State of New York, this 15 day of May i916.

ROBT. R. PUWELL.

4(Iropes of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

